Device for illuminating oil gauges



M D. PRouTY' ET .AL A

DEVICE FOR 'ILLUMINATING OIL-GUGES Y Filed Jam. '21, 1924 i 5 I l INVNTOR www@ A TTORNE YS Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

` UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-ICE.

`:i'fIoR'ron D. PROUTY, Ronnrn` CRAIG, CLIFFORD RAWLINGS, AND HARRY CARLSON, or oAnvA, rowA.

Application filed January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687,551.

To all whom t `may' concern.: n

Be it knownthat we, Monron D. PRoUrY, Bonnin CRAIG, GLIrFoRD RAwLINes, and HARRY Gannsone citizens of the United States, and residents of Galva, in the county of Ida :and State of Iowa, have inventeda new and.; useful- Improvement in Devices for Illuminating Oil Gauges, of whichv the tol lbwingis a full, clear, and exact description Our .invention relates to improvements in devices for illuminating oil` gauges, and the like, and. it consists the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object .of our invention isf touprovide a devicefctor illuminating oil gauges which a combination `reliecting and protecting member is employed,` by means of which practically all ofthe light-trom an incan descent lampl is proj ected through thegauge glass of an oil` gauge upon which the reflecting element and lamp are supported-l A further object of our invention is to provide a device for illuminating oil gauges in which particularly novel structure is employed for supporting the combi-nation reflecting and protecting member upon the oil gauge, whereby lthe reflecting element may be instantly removed for thepurpose of polishingv .and the lit-key and `for the replacement of an incandescent lamp bulb,A yet .which is incapable of unintentional dislodgement from the oil .gauge by vibration :and shock-s imparted v tothe gauge as `the. motor vehicle upon which the engine having the oil'gauge is mounted passes over the road A further objectyotv our invention is .to provide a device of the type: described in which the current source employed tor operating the `incandescent lam-p may be the same` current source employed for operating the head lampsand electrical.equipment of `the vehicle, and in .which .the operation of the lampf may vbe controlled romthe instrument board of' the motor vehicle,

A rfurther objectief our invention ,is to provide a device of the type described which 4may be attached tothe ordinary type `of threaded pet cock vent providedin the crank case' ci' the internal combustion engine and without the `necessity of reconstructing'lthe :crank case for vthesupportet the device.

A i'lrther .object of our invention is to provide a device of the type described that is extremely simple in constmction which is etiicient 1n operation, and which is thor oughly practical commercially. Other .objects andadvantages will appear 1n the ollowingspecilication, and the novel features of the invention will be particu larly pointed out in the appended claims.

Our' invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings1 forming part ot this application, in which-- y Figure l lis .a view of `an embodiment of our invention, operatively applied to the ordinary type of internal combustionengine,

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a part Iof the mechanism illustrated in FigureV l,

,Figure 3 is la side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 2,

Figure l is a. sectional view along the line 4 4 of Figure 8, and

Figure 5 is enlarged perspective View ol the reflecting element employed in our improved illuminating device.

Ina carrying out our invention we make use of .an `internal combustion engine l having a crank case 2 in which lubricant for lubricating the moving parts of the engine is placed. In this type of internal combustion engine the crank case'2 is provided with a pair of pet cock; vents 3 and 4. These vents 3 and -t are threaded and normally serveto support pet cockss'uch as. shown at v5, (see Figure l).

Our present invention necessitates the remoral of the lower pet cock from the vent 3 and the substitution therefor for an oil gauge comprising a body member 6 having an `enteriorly threaded tubular portion 7 which vis engaged with the threaded portion 3, and thereby supported.` The body por tion 6- is arranged to 4stand in a substantially vcrticalpesition asshown in Figure 2, and has a `glass tube or gauge glass communi eating with the upper end of the hollow body portion 61 the upper end of which is closed by means of metal closure 9 supported by upwardly extending metal gilard members l() `which in turn are supported upon the body `member 6. These guard members lOv preventthe acci-dental movement of the gauge glass 8 from the body member 6 and also serve to protect the gauge glass from becoming broken. The guard members 10 are each provided with vertically extending slots 11, diametrically opposed from one another on the outermost walls thereof.

The lower end of the body member G has a rearwardly extending apron 12.

A socket supporting member 13 is carried by the extreme lower part of the body member 6 and is arranged to extend rearwardly therefrom. This member 13 is substantially annular in cross section at its rearwardly extending part, and is split as shown at 14. A binding bolt 15 having a nut 16 therefor is projected through the adjacent parts of' the split annulus folming a part of the socket supporting member 13 and serves as means for locking an incandescent lamp socket 17 against movement when projected through the member 13 as shown in Figure 3.

rllhe upper end of the socket 17 is arrange-:l to rest upon the apron 12, thus preventing movement of the socket 17 toward the, gauge glass 8, and stabilizing the assembly.

The ordinary type of incandescent lamp 18 is carried by the socket 17 and is disposed with its filament 19 substantially in the rear of the gauge glass 8, so that light therefrom may project through the gauge glass and be visible from the front of the gauge glass. A reflecting element, (see Figure 5), semielliptical in cross section, is shown at 2O and is provided with a pair of inwardly extending portions 21 which are arranged to be received in the inwardly extending slots 11, so that when the reflecting element is in place, it may encompass the incandescent lamp 18, shutting off light from the lamp 18 to the rear of the device and reflecting that light through the gauge glass 8.

The upper end 22 of the reflecting element .2O is closed, as shown .in Figure 5, so that virtually all of the light from the lamp 18 must pass through the gauge glass 8.

Suitable conducting wires 23 are connected with the socket 17 and extends upwardly, (see Figure 1) to the instrument board 24 of the motor vehicle, upon which the switch is disposed, for controlling the flow of current from the battery, (not shown), forming a part of the regular equipment of the motor vehiclrj En which'the engine 1 is employed.

ln order that we may not forfeit any advantages by the provision of the pet cock for the vent 3, a pet cock 26 is disposed at the lowermost end of the body member 6 and is arranged to communicate therewith so that oil from the body member 6 may be drained therefrom and consequently from the crank case 2, as though our improved device for illuminating oil gauges were not in use upon the engine 1.

mud'from the road over which the vehicle has passed. This obscuring of the gauge glass 8 by extraneous substances, such as dust and mud, makes it impossible for the driver to determine with any degree of accuracy the level of oil or lubricant within the gauge glass. ln many cases it is impossible to view the oil within the glass.

W ith our present improvement, it is merely necessary to operate the switch 25, thereby c 'sing the lamp 18 to operate and project ng .t through the gauge glass 8. lt is then an easy mattei." to determine the exact level of the oil in the glass. W hen such observation has been made, the switch 25 is opened, and the incandescent lamp 18 will become in operative.

It is obvious that the provision of the slots 11 in the guard members 10 and the engagement of the inwardly turned portions of the reflector 20 bring about a frictional support of the reflecting element upon the oil gauge, which permits the ready manual removal of the reflecting element from the gauge, yet which positively precludes the ui'iintentional removal of the reflector 20 from the oil gauge by vibration as the vehicle upon which the device is used passes over the road.

We claim:

1. A device of the type described compris*- ing an oil oauge having a body member, said body mem er having grooves in the outer most wall thereof, an incandescent lamp supported upon said body member, a transparent gauge glass carried by said body member, and a combination protecting and reflecting clement having portions arranged to be received in the grooves in said body member, whereby said reflecting and protecting member may encompass said incandescent lamp and cause the light therefrom to be projected through said gauge glass.

2. .di device of the type described comprising a body member, a transparent gauge glass carried by said body member, means for conducting oil or the like through said body member to said gauge glass, an incandescent lamp supported upon said body member and in registration with said gauge glass, said body member having a pair of parallel ujiistanding portions, one disposed on either side of said gauge glass for protecting said glass, said upstanding portions having grooves on the outer walls thereof, and a combination protectingand refiecting element having portions arranged to be receved in the grooves of said upstandng portions, whereby said protecting and re- Heotng member may encompass said ncandescent lamp and cause the light there- `from to be projected through said gauge glass, the connection between said upstand ing portions and said reflecting member being substantially dustetght.

MORTON D. PROUTY. RCLLIE CRAIG. CLIFFORD RAWLINGS. HARRY CARLSON. 

